Rostock-Laage (Germany), Grevenmacher (Luxembourg), January 18, 2024 – At today’s Annual General Meeting, shareholders with voting rights of exceet Group SCA (ISIN LU0472835155), the parent company of APEX Group (“APEX”), a leading developer and operator of green hydrogen electrolysis plants for the decarbonization of industry, infrastructure and mobility, approved the company’s proposed expansion of the Supervisory Board from five to six members with 100% of the votes. Prof. Fuhrmann (67) was elected as a new member of the Supervisory Board. At its constituent meeting immediately following the General Meeting today, the Supervisory Board elected Prof. Fuhrmann as Deputy Chair of the Supervisory Board. Together with the Chair of the Supervisory Board, Roland Lienau, and the other members of the Supervisory Board, Prof. Fuhrmann will make a valuable contribution to the company’s growth strategy.
After three years in research, Prof. Fuhrmann started his industrial career 1983 at Klöckner-Werke AG, where he worked until 1995 after holding several positions at the Group’s headquarters, most recently as Commercial Executive of the Klöckner Group’s subsidiary Peguform-Werke GmbH. In the same year, Prof. Fuhrmann moved to Preussag Stahl AG, which was renamed to Salzgitter AG in 1998. Initially acting as a General Representative, he became a member of the Group’s Executive Board in 1996. From 2001 to 2011, he was Chief Financial Officer, and in 2007 he was also appointed Vice Chair of the Executive Board and assumed responsibility for the newly formed Technology division. From 2011 to 2021, Prof. Fuhrmann was Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Salzgitter AG’s Executive Board. In addition to his career at Salzgitter, Prof. Fuhrmann has been and continues to be active in a wide range of scientific fields and in supra-regional committees. Since 2003 he has served as visiting lecturer at RWTH Aachen University, which made him an Honorary Professor in 2008. From 2014, he was a member of the Senate of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, which he chaired from 2016 to 2022. In addition, he was Chair of the German Steel Industry Employers’ Association Arbeitgeberverband Stahl between 2021 and 2023, a member of the presidium of the German Industry Association Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie (BDI) and a member of the German Hydrogen Council between 2020 and 2021. Prof. Fuhrmann studied metallurgy at RWTH Aachen University and added studies in economics. He received his doctorate with distinction from the Technical University of Berlin in 1990.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinz Jörg Fuhrmann, member of the Supervisory Board of exceet SCA, said: “The industry in Europe is in the midst of one of the greatest transformations in its history. Decarbonization requires a change in key production processes and energy sources. Hydrogen will play an important role in this. The market for hydrogen is just emerging, but its producers need to be able to deliver quickly on a large scale if the industry and politics want to achieve their goals. This requires dynamic, innovative companies like APEX that have experience in dealing with the technical complexities involved in the construction and operation of large-scale plants. I look forward to applying my knowledge and skills in this area at APEX and contributing to the transformation of the industry. With significant reference projects, good capitalization and an outstanding management team combining technical and business expertise, APEX is ideally positioned to further expand its leading position in Europe.”
Roland Lienau, Chair of exceet, said: “Prof. Fuhrmann has decades of experience in leading positions in the implementation of large-scale plants in the industrial and energy sectors and the associated significant investment decisions. I am delighted that we have gained an absolute expert from the steel sector with proven hydrogen expertise for exceet’s Supervisory Board, who will be pivotal for the success of APEX with his knowledge and network.”